Concealed carry bill stalls after two senators remove support

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82nd Legislature

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Senators anticipated voting on the concealed carry on campus bill Monday, but it stalled on the floor for the second time in a week.

The controversial bill would allow concealed handgun license holders to carry guns on college campuses.

Supporters have said the bill would allow personal protection, while opponents are concerned it could lead to campus violence.

The bill was pulled on April 7 after state Sens. Mario Gallegos, D-Galena Park, and Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, withdrew their support, which left the bill short of the 21 votes needed for it to pass the upper chamber.

Gallegos said he decided to pull his support after constituents, including university students in his district, called his office to speak out against the bill.

“I would vote for an amendment Sen. Wendy Davis, [D-Fort Worth], has that would allow the Board of Regents to opt out,” Gallegos said. “I don’t think it’s fair to allow some of the private colleges to opt out under this bill and not afford the same opportunity to Board of Regents at other [public] colleges.”

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, the author of the bill, said he is hopeful the bill will pass out of the Senate like it did last session when the House did not have enough time to vote on the bill.